The Message: We move in hysterical ways

There's been no lack of scandals rocking this country in recent years – but does that justify the huge outpourings of hysteria in the media recently? And just what is the difference between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael?

One hesitates to put one’s head out of doors these days for fear of fury or hysteria. Much of the former is understandable, directed as it is against the banks, the builders, the Brothers, and of course the politicians who are seen to have been way too close to all three. The hysteria is harder to take. For example, the reaction to the postponement of the second English paper in the Leaving Certificate was irrational in the extreme. Okay, it was much amplified by the media. But they were only frothing pre-prepared foam.

This is, it seems, a deeply and worryingly neurotic society and even though we’ve a lot of trouble in store, we could do with some general calming down. We could also do with more thinking and emotion-free analysis. In turn, this might prompt some philosophical consideration of the kind of society we want to build around ourselves.

That would be in the political realm. Although the recent elections constituted a kind of light relief after the horrors we’ve gone through, it’s interesting that they provoked so little discussion about the big questions.

The emphasis was on giving the Government a good hiding. The issues raised were to do with the many messes we’re in and how better management might have avoided the worst of them.

Well, the hiding was handed out, no mistaking that. But as regards the why and how of the election outcome, there are many views.

Were the Government parties, as Fianna Fáil argue, hammered because they made the hard decisions? Or was it, as Fine Gael seem to hold, because they were incompetent in the face of a global economic crisis?

Fianna Fáil are spinning the result away from issues of crony capitalism and the inadequacy of their vision to deal with the economic tsunami we’ve been swamped by. Now they seem to be implying that it was we who were out of control and they just went along with our delusions, so it’s our fault not theirs and what’s happening now is that they are taking necessary corrective action and the voters, like spoilt children, are reacting badly.

It’s just a spin. The truth is, they were savaged by the voters because of the widespread perception (fair or otherwise) that they were inextricably bound up with the parcel of rogues who brought our economy from great heights to unimaginable lows. In other words, it’s because they screwed the pooch, not because they’re making hard decisions.

But that’s not exactly what Fine Gael is saying. As they have it, the Government screwed the pooch because of bad management, that is, because they were incompetent. It follows that their core argument is that Fine Gael are more competent and would do a better job

Whether true or not, this analysis indicates that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael share the core analysis and philosophy, as various observers have pointed out. Therefore, the contest is not about whose vision is the most compelling, but to find which party is the better at delivering on the same vision.

Neither party is keen to admit this. But to the prototypical gal from Mars, how would you describe the difference? Not in terms of fundamental visions for Irish society, that’s for sure. Those differences that they had, which were once very considerable, relate to the birth stages of the State. But now, it’s as much about contests between the descendants of two streams of the same class.

Only on the left was there even a cursory attempt to attack the consensus, to question the notion that free-market capitalism is the way forward and that we should be trying to get back to where we were as quickly as possible.

But there are alternatives. Maybe it’s more accurate to say that there’s a spectrum of options, and it would be very healthy for Irish society if they were more calmly and intelligently debated and offered to voters.

In particular, there is a very strong case to be made for the kind of social democratic model found in northern European states. This, as it happens, is the model most favoured by Irish voters when they are asked to rate the importance of services and so on. But it is the one less favoured by the same voters when it comes to elections.

We need to talk about why this is. And preferably this should happen thoughtfully and philosophically and without the stupid jibing that too often passes for political debate in this country.

It is true that, if one looks at the last three local government elections, Fianna Fáil has slipped a long way. But it is too early to talk of a fundamental realignment in Irish politics. That will only happen when we all start looking past issues of management and towards vision and leadership. In other words, until we stop raging about the messes and start talking about the kind of society we want to build around ourselves and what we’re prepared to do to get there.

The Whole Hog: Apocalypse now?

The Whole Hog: Urban myths and bad science are influencing public debate

Our mention of urban myths in the last issue triggered another recollection. A study, the details of which are forgotten but it may have been for a Masters or PhD, focused on Irish urban myths, and found that a significant source of those myths was none other than the broadcaster Gay Byrne.

The Whole Hog: History Repeating Itself

The Long Goodbye

The daily papers carried news of Enda Kenny’s retirement as leader of Fine Gael on May 18, which just happened to be the birthday of Omar Khayyam, the Persian poet, philosopher and polymath. Coincidence? Yes. That said, it was Khayyam who wrote, “The moving finger writes: and, having written moves on: nor all thy piety nor with shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all thy tears wash out a word of it”.

Reshaping Dublin: Are Taller Buildings The Answer?

Planning in Ireland has always been inadequate – with the result that our cities and towns have a Gerry-built quality. But with iconic buildings and better civic spaces on the way, that may be about to change…

Frontlines - A measured response to "elitism"

Opinion: Are We Heading Towards An Orwellian Dystopia?

The planet was already heading towards a crisis. But political forces have recently been unleashed which will surely accelerate that process – and fast! So what will the world be like in 2040? It is a deeply troubling question…

Heart Of Darkness

No stone left unturned

Good old Keef’s autobiography is every bit as entertaining and enlightening as you might expect. Even more entertaining, though, is the turmoil which has engulfed Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in recent weeks...

An honest man who tried his best in difficult times

The New Disposessed

Political upheaval inevitably creates a wave of refugees and the Arab uprisings have proved no different. The real is question is, how should Europe respond to the human rights tragedy on its doorstep?

Suitable For Miners

Financial Apocalypse Now

Our worst fears have come true – the bankers have bankrupted Ireland for a generation. What to do now? Well for one thing, let’s stop despairing. And when the next election comes around, be prepared to make your vote count...

Underestimating the Value of Culture

The Message: They were aided and abetted by the state

It is right that the religious should have to pay for the appalling actions of their members, and the cover-ups for which the religious bosses were responsible. But we should not forget the part that the State played.

Taxing times for the powers that be

As fiscal Armageddon looms, the Irish Government is faced with tough choices. In considering its options, it would do well to remember the lessons to be learned from past experience – in particular the fact that the Poll Tax marked the beginning of the end for Margaret Thatcher

In praise of Lisa Feeney

Secrets and lies

With Archbishop Diarmuid Martin seeking to undo much of the harm and distrust caused by his predecessor, Cardinal Desmond Connell, could we at last be seeing a change in the Church's attitude to victims of sexual abuse?

Good time Charlie's got the blues

From 1977 to 2007 in 30 steps

It’s a different world than it used to be! In this special extended birthday column, The Hog takes a necessarily selective – and typically colourful – look at the 30 most important influences on the process of change that has brought this country all the way from there to… well, where else but here?

The many strands of citizenship

Where's Judge Roy Bean when you need him?

Back in the days of the Wild West, Judge Roy Bean presided over his court as ‘the law west of the Pecos’. Rough and ready, and largely self-taught, his constituency included chancers, fleeing miscreants, vagabonds, thieves, murderers as well as homesteaders and frontier entrepreneurs.

Comical Ali

Luas Talk

This was the year that a lot of frustration boiled over, steaming and fuming and effing to high heaven. A major target was the LUAS, Dublin’s answer to a question that’s out of date and wasn’t being asked anyway, a white elephant generated by people who were besotted with the idea that trams are, to quote Frank McDonald of the Irish Times, ‘civilising’.

It's grim up north

The selective 'war on terror'

The Coalition blitzkrieg on Iraq is part of a wider “war on terror.” says George Bush. To justify this claim, he and Tony Blair made one feeble attempt at being as hard on the causes of terror as on terror itself, when they collaborated with the UN, the EU and Russia to publish what they called the Middle East ‘road map’.

Complete control

How intolerant can we become? It’s a challenging question. We have already become one of the least tolerant and aggressive societies on earth. Few can compete. But 2003 witnessed an upsurge in control culture. This is especially the case in ‘official’ circles. There are six causes.